Sizeable Scars
by venus as a girl
Summary: Jesse, Leon and Vince are living in Mexico, making a new life for themselves a year after the heists. They each meet their match in three girls on vacation and forced to face their scars head on when their lives are threatened once more.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing affiliated with the Fast and the Furious, or anything else you may recognise. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**Authors Note:** Well, here's a new story for your eyes to feast on. It's set about one year after the first film and will eventually lead up to the newest film in the franchise. Since there was no mention of what happened to these three, in my opinion, integral characters, this is just my take on how things may have gone. I've added some new characters and even though I do this with most of my stories, I'm usually very tentative about it and strive to make them honest and believable. Hopefully, you'll let me know if I've failed on that part. Most of this first chapter spilled out of me so fast, I could barely type fast enough and I'm eager to know what you might think, so please if you have a little spare time you'll let me know? I hope you enjoy. Stay classy readers, and thanks for stopping by.

**Sizeable Scars**

_By Venus as a Girl_

Jesse

A young man lay half asleep on the beach. His bare torso rose and fell with every breath and exposed wicked looking scars that held a past full of mistakes he would much rather forget. An old beanie hat covered his face and music blared through his earphones, blocking out the rest of the world. In his hand, a half drunk bottle of Corona sweltered beneath the sun and threatened to spill its contents onto the sand.

His peace was soon disturbed as something hit him, hard, on the chest. He jolted awake, hat falling away from his face and beer splattering his stomach. He sat up, groggy and confused from his afternoon siesta, pulling the earphones away from his ears. He looked around through squinted eyes, trying to find the culprit that had awoken him from his recurring dream – a faceless girl who he was in love with.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" A girl hurried towards him with concern-filled eyes. Jesse looked up at her. She was clad in a bikini top and short shorts that exposed a tiny frame. Her ash-blonde pigtails gave her a childlike innocence, kept in tow by the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She knelt down next to him, eyes roaming over his marked body making him feel incredibly uncomfortable. He grabbed his t-shirt and covered himself up with one hand, while taking a swig of warm beer with the other. He cringed at its taste but he was never one to throw away beer, especially a Corona.

"I didn't hurt you, did I? I'm a terrible catch and Hannah has a real strong arm on her so we probably shouldn't be playing so close to people really. I mean we were walking as we played so we could've encountered anyone really but still that's not the point. I'm so sorry!"

He blinked slowly as she fired off a million things at him. He swallowed thickly, looking up as a red headed girl approached. She had an eyebrow raised behind her friend but a smile all the same. "Jessica, take it down a notch, babe."

"Oh! Sorry," she replied, twisting one of her pigtails around her finger.

"Uh, that's okay," he muttered, carefully placing his bottle into the sand and sitting up fully.

"Oh, you've got a red mark on your chest now. I really am sorry," Jessica repeated.

He nodded at her, "It's okay, really." He smiled shyly, unconsciously rubbing the spot where their ball had hit him. He could feel his face burn more than it already was from the sunshine so he took another swig of his beverage to try and calm his nerves.

"I'm Jessica," she smiled, flashing a row of pearly whites at him.

"Jesse," he replied.

"Oh my gosh, that's so strange. Do people call you Jess? They call me Jess, I don't know which I like best. I guess I don't mind really, as long as they don't call me something bad." Jesse stared at her, still half-smiling but unsure how to take the motor mouth. "My friend, Tilda, calls me Jessifer sometimes, I don't know why but it's pretty funny. I like having a nickname, it's kind of like an in-joke or something only everyone knows about it, ya know?"

Hannah had fetched their ball in the meantime and was now back with them. "Jess, we better get a wriggle on. We've gotta meet Tilda in like ten and she'll flip if we're not there on time."

"Oh yeah," Jessica said, standing up and brushing the sand from her legs. "Well, it was nice to meet you Jesse. Sorry again." She smiled at him again.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled back.

"Bye," smiled Hannah, leading her talkative friend away. Jesse watched after them a moment, feeling slightly guilty that he was checking them both out now. He shook his head and stood up, pulling his shirt on properly. Grabbing his iPod and his Corona bottle, he began making his journey back to the place he now called home.

It was a five minute walk from his spot on the beach, which suited him perfectly. Ever the grease monkey, he didn't care much for walking and would much prefer a ride in a fast car any day. He couldn't complain though, he did have a love for the beach and could often be found watching the ocean at any time of the day.

As he arrived back at the house he shared with his two best friends, he could hear some TV show being played. He went in through the back, climbing over the low wall onto the patio and going through the kitchen door.

"Hey Le." He greeted the blonde haired guy who was at the counter top making a monster of a sandwich.

"'Sup Jesse," he replied, through a mouthful of cheese. "Want one?" He enquired, holding the sandwich up.

"Nah, I'm good."

"Cool." Leon wandered back through the house to the sound of the television, plopping on the couch and becoming immediately engrossed.

"What are you even watching? I didn't know you knew Spanish." Jesse said, bemused. He opened the fridge, putting his half drunk bottle of beer carefully in the door and taking out two cold ones. He ripped the tops off both bottles and sat in the chair opposite the couch, pushing the second bottle towards his friend.

"Cheers bro." Leon took a long swig, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "It's this soap opera, I think there's some kind of marathon of it or somethin', it's been on all day. I think I kinda know what's goin' on now."

"You've been watching it all day?" Jesse asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah man, it's awesome. Plus, there's nothing else on." Leon shrugged, tucking into the rest of his feast.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the case."

"Don't get fresh boy. I'll hide the beer from you," Leon teased. Jesse smirked, shaking his head, unable to take him seriously when he had a huge spot of mayonnaise on his chin. "Now shut up, I'm tryin' to watch."

Jesse grabbed his beer from the table and made his way upstairs to the bathroom. The day was winding down and he needed to wash away the sweat, sand and beer. He stripped off and eased himself beneath the lukewarm water of the shower. As he washed, he allowed his hands to linger that little bit longer over the biggest scar. It was but a small reminder of things that had happened the previous summer, things he would give anything to change. The first bullet had gone straight through him, causing no 'lasting damage', as the doctors had put it. The second, however, had lodged itself neatly in his stomach, causing months and months of recovery. They told him he was lucky, that if the bullet had been a mere centimetre to the left he would have been paralysed. Or dead.

His head was constantly filled with the 'what-ifs?'. What _if_ the bullet had taken a slightly different course? Would he still be alive to tell the tale of that fateful day? What if he had listened to Leon and not raced Johnny Tran at Race Wars? What if he had taken part in the last heist? Would everything have worked out for them? Even though Brian was a cop?

Try as he could, when he was alone and lost in his thoughts, he couldn't help but think of such questions. He sometimes came up with alternative situations, whereby he and the team still lived at The Fort and they still raced and still worked on cars and everything was...How it should have been.

A loud pounding on the bathroom door shook him from his thoughts and he realised he had no idea how long he'd been in the shower. He turned the water off, noting that his fingers had wrinkled up like prunes. "One sec!" He shouted, throwing a towel around his waist and grabbing his pile of clothes from the floor.

He unlocked the door, finding himself face-to-face with an irate looking Vince. "I hope you cleaned up after yourself. Jerk off in your room from now on, will ya?" He ranted, pushing past Jesse and slamming the door behind himself.

"At least I don't do it into a sock!" He retorted, quickly making himself scarce, lest he face more of Vince's wrath. Too much time spent with just the guys had made him a little more mouthy than he once had been. Vince and Leon constantly ripped into one and another, and they didn't leave him out either. They always came up with things to try and gross each other out. Things, Jesse thought, Mia would have told them off for. When he got to his room, he quietly shut the door behind him and flicked on his stereo, his ears pleased to hear the soft tones of Radiohead. He lay on his bed, flicking through a Spiderman comic while he dried off naturally.

A short while later, he woke with a start, his comic stuck to his face. He peeled it away and sat up, rubbing at his eyes and wondering why he kept falling asleep every time he stopped moving. He quickly got dressed and wandered downstairs to the living room, finding Vince and Leon drinking beers and watching _Bullitt_. He grabbed himself a beer and a bag of potato chips and joined them for the last twenty minutes of the film.

"What time is it?" Jesse asked, as the credits rolled.

"Just after nine," Leon replied, jumping up from his spot on the couch. "Tony's?"

"Good plan," answered Vince. The three of them, clean and ready for the night ahead, turned off the television and made their way to the local bar. It was a ten minute walk from where they were staying, but within five minutes they could hear the music clear enough to establish the song. A huge, glowing neon sign proclaimed the buildings name – _Black Magic_. It was a seedy joint, with a pretty ridiculous name, but it was close-by and on a Saturday night was usually filled with people ready to party.

As they arrived, a number of people spilled out of the main doors, lighting up cigarettes once they were outside. They pushed through people, heading straight for the bar as they usually did. When they eventually managed to get served, Leon ordered up their usual – three shots of Sambuca and three bottles of Corona. Together, they downed their shots, slamming their glasses back down on the bar and taking their beers with them. They squeezed over to a free space by the dance floor, taking care not to lean back against the sticky walls. Leon leaned over to Jesse, shouting something he was unable to hear.

"What?!" Jesse hollered back, indicating that he couldn't hear him. Leon grabbed his head, turning it to the dance floor where he locked his sight on three girls dancing together, seemingly unaware of the stares they were receiving from everyone around them. It took a moment, but he eventually recognised two of them from the beach earlier that day. He turned back to Leon, nodding his head and smiling.

He would have explained the story from earlier had the music not been deafening - but that could wait until later. As the track changed, the girls made their way off the dance floor, weaving through sweaty people. Leon grabbed Jesse and they made tracks to follow after them. Vince looked after them, a questioning look in his eyes, causing Jesse to motion for him to follow. They ended up outside, where Leon scanned the crowds for people.

"I coulda swore they came out here," Leon muttered, now just about audible.

"What the hell? We just got in there, why are you draggin' me back out here already?" Vince moaned, finishing off the rest of his beer and using the floor as a garbage can for his bottle.

"Jesse!" Came a scream through the crowd. He whirled around and Jessica was stood before him, a huge smile on her face. "Oh my gosh, as if you're here! It's like fate or something, we've met twice in the same day, how weird is that? Not that I'm into all that stuff, ya know? But there's gotta be some reason we keep finding each other, huh?"

Leon jabbed Jesse in the ribs, giving him a look that indicated they should be promptly introduced. "Oh, uh, Jess, these are my friends – Leon and Vince."

"Nice to meetcha," Jessica replied, flashing them both a huge smile. Leon returned it, charmingly, while Vince looked slightly disturbed by her and how much she had to say. "My friends are over there if you wanna join us?"

"That would be awesome," Leon said, slinging his arm around Jesse and following the tiny girl. She stopped before two other girls sat at a table, one of whom Jesse recognised as Hannah. Both of them were smoking and Vince took this as his cue to take out his own cigarette.

"Okay, Jesse, you met Hannah earlier, yeah?"

"Hi," Hannah smiled.

"Well, this is Tilda, we were going to meet her when we saw you earlier." Jessica pointed to the other, dark haired, girl. She had one arm crossed across her chest and the other holding a cigarette to her mouth, eyes wary of the new people that her friend had brought over.

"Hey," she said, in a sultry voice.

"And this is Leon and Vince." Jessica pointed to them both respectively, looking eager.

"You got a light?" Vince asked, gruffly, cigarette poised between his lips. Hannah passed him one and he was immediately engulfed in smoke. He passed it back to her with an appreciative nod. Leon pulled up his own chair from another table, the others following suit.

"So, where are you guys staying? Are you on holiday or do you live here?" Jessica rambled on. "We're here for the summer. Hannah's aunt owns loads of places around the country and stuff and she's letting us stay in one like ten minutes away, which is pretty cool."

"Oh yeah? We've got a place just down the road. Been living there for about six, maybe seven, months," explained Leon, lapping up the attention that Jessica was so enthusiastic to provide.

"Oh wow, you live here? That must be amazing. I love it here, the beach is so nice and the weather is the best. I've got tan lines already, look," she said, pulling her t-shirt off one shoulder to show a thin white line where her bikini strap obviously belonged. "And we've only been here like four days, it's intense. So what do you guys do here?"

"Me and the genius here work in a garage in town and -" Leon began.

"You're a genius?" She enquired, looking pointedly at Jesse with a strange smile on her face. "And you work on cars?"

"Yeah," Jesse nodded. "I like 'em." He certainly wasn't ashamed about the route his career had taken, even if everything else was messed up. He was a good mechanic and he knew it. The team had always called him 'genius' or 'mad scientist' because he could hold a lot of information about cars in his head. There was something about them that was so perfect. How they fit together and how they worked, there was only one way to fix a car and that made things easier for him. It was like math – there is only one answer but once you know the formula you can work out any problem. Unfortunately, that rule just didn't apply to life and tended to perplex Jesse at times.

His father was a mechanic. Before he had gone to prison, he had taught Jesse everything he knew about cars. Jesse didn't know it, but he had far surpassed his father on the knowledge front. He constantly had his head stuck in a car magazine, learning about the newest parts and freshest imports. He had even managed to salvage the wreck of the Jetta after months of work. Leon had had it towed to a holding facility while Jesse was in the hospital and when they made the big move to Mexico, they brought it with them. Now, it sat comfortably in the garage, ready to be taken for a spin any time. But Jesse wanted to let it wait until his father was out of prison now. He hadn't dared drive it since everything happened.

"Wow, that's cool." Jessica nodded back, "What do you do Vince?"

Vince looked up from his cigarette, blinking and seemingly taken aback by her question. "I teach guitar."

"Really? That's so cool. I wish I could play guitar but I'm not much good with stuff like that really."

Vince half smiled at her, flicking his cigarette butt off to one side. Leon stood up, "Can I get you ladies a drink?"

"We're drinking mojito's," Jessica replied.

"Cool. Stay here, we'll be back in a sec," Leon replied. "Gimme a hand, bro?" He murmured to Vince, who followed begrudgingly.

"You're gonna make me pay, aren't you?" Vince grumbled.

Jesse turned back to the girls, all three of them peering at him with curious eyes. "So..." He began.

"Your friends seem nice," Jessica said, while Hannah lit a fresh cigarette along with Tilda's. "Whereabouts are you from?"

"Los Angeles. San Diego originally. You?"

"I'm from Oklahoma but Hannah and Tilda are both from New York," nodded Jessica.

"Cool."

"So, how come you moved here Jesse?" Jessica asked.

"Urm, we had some problems back home," Jesse replied, uncomfortably rubbing at his face and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Oh, that's too bad. But at least you got to come here, I love it. If I had the guts to move here it would be totally awesome but I think I'd miss my family too much. Gosh, I miss them already. But seriously, it's really amazing that you live here with your friends, that must be lots of fun."

"Yeah, the guys are cool," he nodded in response.

Leon and Vince eventually found their way back out to the table, drinks in hand. "Mojito's for the ladies," Leon smiled, charmingly, passing around the cocktails. He passed Jesse another Corona and then passed around six shot glasses. "And shots of some of the finest Samuel Buca for everyone."

"Awesome!" Jessica exclaimed. They each downed their shots, slamming the glasses on the table. "My chest feels all warm now," she added, taking a sip of her cocktail.

Jesse sat back in his chair, taking the occasional swig of his beer. Jessica chatted away happily at him while he gave the according answers to her questions – did he have any brothers or sisters? (No, but Leon and Vince were close enough) How long had he been working on cars? (As long as he could remember) Had he ever had a near-death experience? (Yes...But he wasn't going to give her the details. Thankfully she let that one slide and carried on rambling.) There was something about her that enticed Jesse. She had a delightful way of appearing non-judgemental, as though she were able to see the good in anyone.

Although she said a lot – and he had once thought that Mia was a chatterbox – she just had a certain something that made Jesse want to listen to her all night. He occasionally tuned out from the specifics and mainly just listened to her voice, pixie-like. In a way, she sounded like the engine of a car, humming away blissfully. It was extremely calming and he liked it.

"Come on then ladies, drink up! Let's go dance," Leon exclaimed, chugging the last of his beer and discarding the bottle on the table.

"Oh yeah! I can't believe how long we've been out here!" Jessica giggled, a gurgling sound coming from her glass as she slurped the rest of the concoction down through her straw. The six of them weaved through the plethora of bodies into the club, making their way to the dance floor as a new track started. It was some kind of Spanish rock song but it had a good bass line, resulting in a perfect dance tune. Vince, however, Jesse noticed, had hastily gone to the bar. He didn't 'do' dancing, as he so often reminded them, which made Jesse smile a little. At least it meant he didn't have to wait at the bar and would no doubt have a cold one to look forward to soon enough.

The song changed to something they all recognised, resulting in them all screaming along - unheard, due to the extreme loudness already coming from the speakers - and dancing happily. Laughing, as the song ended, they managed to make their way to Vince who was standing by with six Coronas (because Mojito's were 'girly' drinks) and six more shots. He indicated that the drinks were to be passed around accordingly and then motioned that he was going for another smoke.

At 3am, it was time for Black Magic to shut its doors to the faithful patrons for the night. Jesse walked with Jessica, while Leon took the lead with Tilda and Hannah. Over the course of the night, Vince had gone missing somewhere. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence and probably meant he had either bailed to go home, or found a girl for the night and would show up in the morning a little less grumpy than usual.

"Oh my gosh, now that we've come back outside I feel so much more drunk than I did when we were inside!" Jessica fanned herself with her hand, twirling her hair back into a bun and holding it there with her hand.

"Yeah, me too," Jesse replied. A stupid grin worked its way onto his face but it wouldn't go away so he stopped fighting with it.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked, gently prodding his arm.

"Nothin'."

"You're a shitty liar," she giggled.

"Yeaaaaah," Jesse agreed, giggling along with her. Not looking where she was going, Jessica tripped and fell backwards. After a brief moment of shock, she burst into a fit of laughter.

"Oh my God!" Exclaimed Jesse, laughing heartily and crouching down next to her.

"I can't breathe!" She said, through her chuckles. "That really hurt!"

"That was so funny," Jesse added, trying to calm himself down. "You okay?"

"I think so," she replied, through her hiccuping laughs.

"What happened?" Tilda asked, walking back towards them.

"I fell down!"

"I can see that, babe. You're such a clutz." Shaking her head, Tilda crouched beside the two of them. "Can you get up?"

"Let's see." Jesse held his hand out for her, pulling her to her feet only for her to squeal in pain. "Oh, that hurts. I think I twisted my ankle or something." Doubled over, she touched her ankle tentatively and winced. Standing up straight, she cleared her throat and attempted a couple of steps but stumbled.

Jesse caught her before she fell again, "Whoa there."

She giggled again, "Oops."

"C'mon," Jesse said, moving in front of her. He bent down slightly, "Hop on."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty heavy."

He looked back at her in disbelief. She was smaller than him and almost too skinny for her frame. "Are you kiddin'? Just do it."

"Um, okay," she said, looking unsure at Tilda, who shrugged.

"He's offering you a free ride, Jess," she said.

Jessica put her hands carefully on his shoulders and hopped up. Jesse held her with ease, jostling her slightly so that she was easier to carry. "See? Stronger than I look."

"Well, we're not too far from our place now. Just tell me if I'm hurting you."

They continued their walk and finally caught up with Leon and Hannah back at the girls summer home. The two of them were unaware of what had happened, and were bemused by the sight they were introduced to.

"I hope you're charging her full fare, Jess," quipped Leon.

"I fell over and hurt my ankle so Jesse offered to carry me home. I told you chivalry wasn't dead ladies." Jessica grinned, while Hannah unlocked the door and led everyone to the living area.

With Jessica carefully placed on the sofa, Tilda got some ice for her ankle. "Thank you very much, noble steed. I hope to return the favour as soon as my foot's better."

"Cool, I'll be saving some gas money soon then."

"We're having a barbecue tomorrow if you guys are game? You can bring the fuzzy bear guy with you too, I imagine he's not the one to pass on free food," Jessica smiled, while Tilda put a pillow beneath her ankle and plopped the bag of ice on top.

"Sounds like a plan," Leon answered, slinging his arm around Jesse's shoulders. "What time should we be here?"

"Urm, around 4?" Hannah nodded from her spot sitting cross-legged on the table.

"We'll see you then. Thank you for a delightful evening ladies," Leon said, flashing his charming smile.

"Hope your foot feels better," Jesse added.

"Thank you!"

"See you tomorrow."

Three 'bye's' followed them out of the door as they made their way home. "Well, I'd say that was a successful night," Leon said.

"Yeah."

"You gonna go for the little pixie girl?"

Jesse blushed slightly, "Shut up."

"I knew it!"

"Whatever man. Which one are you planning on pursuing?"

"Well, I was gonna go for the angry one 'cause I kinda like that in a girl but then I got talking to Hannah and she seems...nice. So, maybe I'll just see how that one goes."

Jesse shook his head, whilst smiling slightly. "Where do you reckon Vince got to?"

"My guess he's on the couch, snoring away. Let's see..." Leon answered, as they walked down the small path that led to their front door. He opened the door, and sure enough, loud snores could be heard from the next room. "Told you."

"Let's just leave him there, I don't wanna get punched in the stomach again like last time."

"That was so funny," Leon chuckled, tossing the keys on the side after locking the door behind them. They silently made their way upstairs and to their respective rooms, calling a half-hearted 'night' to each other.

Jesse kicked off his shoes and slipped out of his clothes until he was just in his boxers. He collapsed onto the bed, the ceiling fan above him cooling his hot skin. He sighed, a smile creeping onto his lips as he fell asleep with thoughts of the little pixie girl.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Hello all. It's been a long time coming with this second chapter, which I apologise for but hopefully you will like it which will make it all worth it. Venus x

**Sizeable Scars**

_By Venus as a Girl_

Leon

Wandering downstairs, Leon heard the same loud snores from the previous night coming from the living room. He shook his head, heading straight to the fridge and guzzling down as much orange juice as possible before he needed to catch a breath. He took the carton with him to the living room, kicking the fridge door shut as he went. He collapsed onto the couch, flicking the television on with the remote and turning it up as loud as possible. Vince awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright with a confused expression on his face.

"Mornin' pumpkin," Leon joked, turning the volume down again. Leon was lucky in that he barely ever had a hangover – and if he did, he would usually be fine by midday.

"I really hate you sometimes," Vince grumbled, rubbing at the side of his head.

"You don't mean that. Juice?"

"No. I need pills and a shower."

"You know, for a guy who drinks every day, you get worse hangovers than Letty," Leon muttered, happily guzzling down more juice. "Where did you disappear to last night?"

Vince rubbed his face with both hands and shrugged nonchalantly. "Came home."

"Oh, we're invited to a barbecue later."

Vince cocked his head in Leons direction. "We are?"

"Yeah, those girls from last night. The little one that talked a lot hurt her ankle and invited us round for food. She thought you wouldn't want to pass up on that offer." Vince looked at him, one eyebrow cocked. "You know you want to go."

Vince sighed, scratching at his beard. "Time?"

"'Bout four," Leon shrugged, now becoming engrossed in an episode of the same Spanish soap opera from the day before. Grunting, Vince got up from the couch and disappeared upstairs. Leon heard the shower turn on and settled into his chair, throwing his feet up onto the table in front of him.

It had been a long time since he felt this good. He could finally say that the three of them were back on their feet – in the literal and figurative sense. Out of every member of the team, he had come out the best he supposed. He hadn't been hurt or shot at. He hadn't lost someone he loved or been betrayed. But in a way, his role had been the hardest. He had to remain strong for everyone. For Jesse who came so close to death all at the hands of Tran. Leon often wished he had tried harder to persuade Jesse not to race against him but he knew thinking that way wouldn't make any difference to events already in the past.

He knew Jesse felt guilty, in a way, about the events of that fateful day. Leon understood his mentality but carrying that kind of weight on your shoulders is the toughest thing in the world and he was constantly reassuring his younger friend that things happened for a reason. Nobody blamed Jesse for anything, just as nobody blamed Dominic.

He'd had to be strong for Letty, who he had transported all the way to Baja before he could get her to a hospital. Thankfully, her injuries hadn't been too severe but he could tell she was feeling a lot of emotional pain too. In her eyes, he imagined, the man she loved had left her to fend for herself. Yeah, she had Leon but he wasn't Dom. He tried his best for her, but in the end it was only the return of Dom that had made her fully recover.

And as much as neither of them spoke about it, he had been there for Vince too. When Dom arrived in Mexico, he had asked Leon to go back for Vince and Jesse. They were both in separate hospitals, in a bad way, but Dominic had to keep on the move if he wanted to outrun the law so it was up to Leon to go back for them. He was surprised to find that nobody seemed to bother them while they were in the hospital. He supposed that Brian was the one to thank for that.

Vince's injuries didn't seem as bad upon his first visit but it didn't take long for Leon to realise just how messed up his arm was. He wasn't responding well to the doctors' poking and prodding and was constantly doped up on pain medication. At first, there was barely any feeling in it, just mild pins and needles he said. Eventually though, after time and effort and not a word of complaint from Vince, he got it working again.

Jesse, however, was a completely different story. He was in a coma for three weeks. Lying in a hospital bed he looked so small and weak and the sight of him still haunted Leon frequently. He had honestly thought they were going to lose the Mad Scientist. On two occasions, he had gone into cardiac arrest and been brought back to life by a plethora of medical personnel. And both times Leon had stood by, helpless.

He hated thinking about things so much but it was all he'd been able to do for the first three months, he was powerless against their recoveries. But what he could do was be their support, and that was the role he took. He didn't expect anything in return, he just wanted everyone to be okay.

Now, for the most part, it was.

He heard someone coming down the stairs and he looked over to find a sleepy looking Jesse. "Mornin'," he greeted.

"Yeah," mumbled Jesse, collapsing on the couch face first.

"Hungover?" The painful grunt he received affirmed his question. "You two are such cheap dates."

Jesse groaned again and rolled over, breathing deeply to avoid being sick. "Mexico hangovers are three times as bad as normal hangovers." He murmured, eyes still closed.

"I feel fine."

"I hate you."

"That seems to be a common theme this morning."

"Please stop gloating. I think I might be dying."

Leon laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah, we've been there before, Sunshine, and you're still with us."

He got up, nonetheless, and headed to the kitchen. He rustled around in the drawer, pulling up some painkillers taking them, along with a bottle of water from the fridge, with him. He put them both on the table in front of Jesse who looked up, gratefully. He threw back three pills and chugged half of the bottle of water in record time.

"Thanks." Said Jesse, laying back down while he waited for the little white tablets to kick in. "I had a really weird dream last night."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Me and that Jessica girl were about to get married."

"Ha! You love her."

"Shut up. That's not even the weird part."

"Okay, so you're getting married to her because you love her and...?"

"I was pregnant." Jesse spat out. "With twins."

Leon looked at Jesse in utter disbelief. Then he burst out laughing. "Seriously?" He choked out, between gasps. "Twins? That's too funny!"

"I immediately regret telling you." Jesse muttered, holding the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.

"I'm totally gonna tell her later!" Leon replied, still chuckling.

"Whatever man, it doesn't mean anythin'."

"I'll bet she knows what it means. She probably has a dream dictionary by her bed, just in case."

"Shut up."

"Sorry, did I just offend your future wife?" Joked Leon, a cheeky smile now in place on his face. These were the moments when he knew things were okay, the moments where he and Jesse would have stupid banter about everything and anything. "You're not going to get all macho and threaten to sock me in the nose are you?"

Jesse glared at Leon, but seeing the wicked grin on his face meant that the look of faux anger quickly turned into a smile. "You tell Vince about this thing later?"

"Yeah. He's game. Free food, so of course he is." Leon replied. He tossed the television remote to Jesse, getting up. "I'm gonna have a quick shower and check in at the garage."

"Okay man."

"You need anythin' pickin' up from the store?"

"Chips and beer, hopefully the hangover of doom will be gone by then. And some marshmallows. And Nutella." Jesse answered, lying down on the couch and flicking through the channels.

"That all?" Asked Leon, rolling his eyes.

"Oh! Get some of those awesome sausages from that weird butcher guy who calls everyone Ben," nodded Jesse.

"Will it be open today?"

"Yeah man, I went there a couple of weeks ago. I was talkin' with him for like twenty minutes. He's amazing."

"How do you meet all these people, Jess?" Asked Leon, perplexed. Jesse wasn't overly outgoing yet he seemed to attract people just by being him. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing but sometimes it led to some interesting situations. It did, of course, lead them to meeting the girls of last night and any situation that meant a possibility to flirt, Leon was all for.

Jesse chuckled, then groaned as his head rattled from his laughter. Leon made his way up the stairs, grabbed a towel from his room and headed to the bathroom. It was still steamy from Vince's shower so he opened a window before getting under the powerful spray. He started to sing some Elvis, something that had become part of his showering routine since they moved to Mexico. He also knew that it bugged Vince, whose room was next to the bathroom, so he kicked out the tunes at every possible chance.

Done in the shower, he got dressed in his room and donned a pair of sunglasses. Making sure he had sufficient funds in his pocket, he made his way happily into the sun. The garage that he and Jesse had opened was a ten minute walk from where they lived, a walk that Leon actually enjoyed. They weren't actually open on Sundays but since he and Jesse had taken the day off the day prior, he just wanted to take a look in to make sure things were still in tact.

There were two other employees at the L&J Automotive Garage - Eddie who was a middle-aged Mexican man who had been working on cars for most of his life and Esteban a young protégé whose English was fragmented but he was a fast learner, and also helped with some of the locals who knew no English whatsoever. Leon loved the garage and the guys he worked with, though sometimes it would remind him of the days at Toretto's where they would all joke around and have a good time. Their set-up was simple, the garage was a building just big enough for two cars, along with all the tools they could ever need. Business was sometimes slow, so Eddie and Esteban were just part-timers that came in as and when they were needed, but all in all the business venture was a success.

At this moment, they had two cars in that Eddie and Esteban would have been working on during the day prior. It wasn't as if Leon didn't trust them, he did wholeheartedly, but the garage was his life now and he couldn't help but want to be there all the time. He unlocked the doors and went in, quickly looking over the cars and then heading to the back where the makeshift office was a desk and a filing cabinet in the corner. He sat down and took the next half an hour to go over the small pile of paperwork that needed to be done. Finishing that, he locked up again and walked five more minutes down the road to the local stores. He went to the butchers first to have a five minute conversation with the pleasant shopkeeper. Then he headed to the convenience store.

He wandered around the shop, picking up all the things Jesse ordered along with a few other bits. His arms were full by the time he got to the cashier, who filled three bags with his haul. On his way out, he bumped into two girls.

"Hey there, you two," he smiled. Hannah smiled at him warmly and Tilda gave him a half smile from behind her sunglasses.

"Hey Leon," Hannah replied. "You hungover today?"

"No, I feel great. Jesse and Vince, on the other hand, are a different story. How about you guys?"

"I have a bit of a headache but I think Jess got the worst of it," she answered, nodding slightly.

"How's her foot?"

"Big and blue, it's not pretty. And she was pretty sick this morning, we came to get her some stuff to ease her pain. I don't think she mixes well with the heat," Hannah half-laughed, but it was clear she also felt sorry for her suffering friend.

"Are you guys still coming tonight?" Tilda asked, lighting a cigarette and offering one to Leon. This struck as almost strange, she hadn't spoken yet but he figured she must be hungover too. He took the cigarette and they moved into the shade while all three of them smoked.

"Yeah, we'll be there. That's what all this stuff is actually," he indicated the bags that he had placed on the floor while.

"Cool. We went to get some meat earlier from that butcher, the guy in there is so strange." Tilda added, exhaling smoke slowly.

"Yeah, Jesse loves that guy. Does he call you Ben too?" Laughing slightly, she replied yes, causing them all to chuckle.

"If you wanna stick around a couple of minutes, you can drop the barbecue stuff off on your way back?" Hannah interjected. Leon took one last drag of his cigarette and threw it to the ground.

"Sure," he replied, picking up his bags and following them back into the store. He followed them to the frozen section, where Hannah picked up some vegetarian burgers. "You're vegetarian?"

"Yeah," she replied, almost looking ashamed. "I'm not one of those preachy ones that tells people they shouldn't eat meat or anythin'. I just – just am, I guess."

"No, that's cool. You should stick to what you believe in," he nodded, giving her his best smile. She returned it, warmly and then followed after Tilda.

When they were finished in the store, he followed them back to their place. He was sorting out what was for the barbecue and what was to go back home with him, when Jessica hobbled into the kitchen where they were all stood talking. She groaned, sitting down at the table and putting her head in her hands.

"Here babe, we got you some painkillers," Hannah said, popping out two from the packet and handing them to Jessica.

"Thanks," she mumbled. Tilda passed her a bottle of water and she sipped some to swallow her pills. "Hey Leon."

"Hey, how's the foot?" She stuck out her leg and Leon was shocked to see how much it had swelled. "Looks pretty gnarly," he said, grimacing.

"Yeah, it's throbbing quite a bit. I'm such a clumsy drunk, it's my own fault." She put her foot up onto another chair and Hannah put a folded, wet tea towel on top of it for her. "Thanks Han."

"Right, so you want us round here at four?" Leon asked.

"Can we make it later? I think I need to sleep for a few hours before anything," Jessica said.

"Six?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah that sounds better," Jessica replied.

"Awesome, we'll see you later then." Hannah followed Leon to the door so that she could lock it behind him.

"Just come round the back when you get here," she smiled.

"Okay, see you later." He waved, popping his sunglasses back on his face.

When he got back to his place, Jesse had moved from the couch and was nowhere in sight. He went into the kitchen, putting everything away apart from the fresh juice he had just bought. He went upstairs to inform Jesse and Vince – both of them asleep - that their meal plan for the evening was now at six. Then, he went back downstairs, turned on the TV and settled down to enjoy his free time.

xxx

By six, the three of them were on their way to the girls' house and they went around to the back, as instructed. They found Tilda stood over a large barbecue, cigarette in her mouth and sunglasses on.

"Hey guys," she greeted, in her husky voice.

"How's it goin'?" Leon asked, as they all converged on the spacious patio.

"Swell. I think this things almost ready to cook."

"Anythin' need doin'?" he asked, politely.

"I dunno, Hannah's inside she might need a hand."

Leon nodded and made his way inside, finding Hannah taking things out of the fridge. "Hey," he greeted.

She jumped slightly, spinning around and holding her hand to her heart. "Oh, you scared me," she laughed.

"Sorry." He smiled, "Need a hand?"

"Sure. The salad and condiments can go out if you don't mind."

He took everything outside to find Vince sat at the table, with a cigarette and Jesse sat beside him. Tilda was still poking at the barbecue when Hannah came out to offer everyone a drink. Everyone wanted beer so Leon helped her carry those out also. Tilda had started cooking a range of barbecue foods and the smell was intoxicating. Leon was definitely ready for some good food, all he really ate these days was sandwiches because they were the easiest thing to make. He imagined if Mia knew what his diet and amounted to, she would be having a fit and making him some kind of home cooked meal. Lasagne maybe, or some fantastic pot roast with all the trimmings. Hannah shouted Jessica who came hobbling out a few minutes later to join them all, carrying a bottle of water.

"Ah my noble steed," Jess exclaimed, looking at Jesse while she plopped down into the empty seat next to Vince.

Jesse smiled, sheepishly. "How's your foot?"

Leon turned to Hannah while Jesse talked to his new admirer. "So how long are you guys here in Mexico?" Leon asked.

"About a month or so. We've got open tickets so we could go back any time, I guess. But I need to get back to college at some point."

"Where'd you go to college?"

"NYU," she nodded.

"What're you studying?"

"I'm majoring in English Lit," she nodded, again. Leon sensed that she was sort of uncomfortable talking about herself and this was the second time she seemed almost embarrassed to be telling him about her life.

"Is that where you met your friends?" He continued, raising his eyebrows in the direction of Jessica, across the table. He was trying to keep her engaged in a conversation, now that they were both sober she seemed much more shy, though thankfully not to the point where she wasn't saying anything.

"It's where I met Jess, we're room mates. And I grew up with Tilda. Where did you guys meet?"

"I've known Jesse all my life, our dads grew up together and so did we. And Vince, I've known for about four years. He was friends with my old boss." It sounded strange when he described it that way but it was the only explanation he could think of that didn't involve him lying and wouldn't have led him to retelling the events that occurred over a year ago.

"Jess said you and Jesse work in a garage?" She asked.

"Yeah, we own the one in town. Business is kinda slow but it's fine for us really."

"Wow, you own it? That's pretty amazing. Is that why you moved here?"

"That's a pretty different story." He nodded and added, "A long story."

"Well, that sounds ominous." She raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her beer.

"I can't go telling you all my secrets right away." He smiled, while Hannah leaned on the table, resting her chin on her hand. Tilda had disappeared briefly to put some music on and the sounds of Pearl Jam came floating through the doors.

"Han, I think these are nearly ready," Tilda said, a short while later. Hannah nodded and headed inside to fetch plates. Tilda served up a mound of burgers, ribs and sausages while Hannah had her own small plate of food that had been cooking in the oven while everything was prepared.

"This looks awesome," Jesse said to Tilda.

"Thanks. I can't cook properly, but I like to burn the crap outta stuff on the grill," she smiled, loading up a plate that rivalled the mound that was already on Vince's.

It felt strange sitting down to a huge meal without anybody forcing them to say grace. Though Leon was certainly no devout Catholic, he had become used to hearing everyone try to come up with some new and amusing way to say their pre-meal prayer. It had been an important tradition to Dom and Mia, so it had been important to the rest of them too. Everyone in the team had met their father, Tony, and it had been his own ruling that grace be said before each meal. None of them ever spoke about it, it was just another one of those things that the team who they were – a tight knit group of different personalities that were brought together for their love for one and other.

It sounded so trite when he thought about it, but when it came down to it that was what they were. What they still were. The only change was that they were no longer as tight-knit, but he knew that if Dom, Mia and Letty showed up right at that moment, it would be as though nothing was different – everyone would be laughing, joking, eating. But right now, it was Leon, Jesse and Vince and that would have to do.

He looked over at Vince, who was caught between Jesse and Jessica. He was leaning over his plate, shovelling food down his throat while Jessica talked to Jesse over him, clearly trying to let Jesse have his moment with her. He seemed to have perked up on the arrival of Jessica and Leon was happy to see him looking like his old self again.

The watch Hannah was wearing beeped and Tilda looked at her knowingly. "I'll be back in a minute," Hannah explained, smiling at Leon as she made her way inside. He raised his eyebrows at Tilda who just mirrored his expression.

"Thanks for the food, it was great," he said.

"No problem. These two don't eat that much so it's nice to have people round who make me look like less of a fatty," she said, lighting up a cigarette and proffering him the packet. He obliged and she offered one to Vince, who also helped himself.

"Thanks," he said, putting it to his lips and lighting up.

"I don't know what it is about this place that makes me want to constantly smoke," Tilda said, lighting her own cigarette and passing the lighter to Leon.

"I know exactly what you mean," Vince replied, exhaling a large gust of smoke.

"You should stop. It makes you stink, Tilly," Jessica stated, playing with the lid of her water bottle.

"Yeah. I'll quit when we leave here. Maybe," she said, causing Jessica to stick her tongue at her.

Leon realised how dark it had gotten in the past half an hour and had to stifle a yawn. The porch lights turned on after this thought and Hannah came back outside, sitting down in her place. She went to take a swig from her beer bottle but Tilda took it from her hand and replaced it with a new bottle of water. Hannah mock glared at her friend but smiled anyway. Leon half-wondered what was going on but didn't dare ask, instead he just smiled at them both.

"So, what have you ladies got planned for tomorrow?" Leon asked.

"Well, we were going to go do some touristy things but I don't think Jess could manage water skiing just yet," Hannah replied.

"I think I just want to lay on the beach and work on my tan," Jessica inserted.

"Good plan. If you keep walking that way," Jesse pointed down the beach, "You'll find a good place for paella, just off the beach." Hannah jokingly pulled a disgusted face but Jesse didn't see as Jessica was now chatting to him about how much she loved trying exotic foods.

"Shall we go in? I don't want to get eaten by bugs again like the first night we were here." Hannah was already up, piling plates together. Everyone helped and within no time they had transported everything into the kitchen. Everyone sat down and Hannah excused herself to go to the bathroom. This was shortly followed by a high-pitched scream and she came running out, jumping onto a chair.

"There's a freakin' _huge_ cockroach in the bathroom, looking all – gross!" She exclaimed, dancing slightly on the chair.

Leon got up, laughing. "I'll get rid of it."

"Don't kill it!" Hannah cried, her hand over her mouth. Leon looked at her as if she was mad, already rolling up one of their trashy magazines to swat it with. "Just because it's disgusting doesn't mean it's not a living creature. Just throw it out the window or somethin'. Please?"

The pleading look in her eyes made him melt a little. "Okay. Where are the cups?"

"Second cupboard in."

He grabbed a glass and unfurled the magazine, heading to the bathroom, smiling at everyone while he went. The cockroach was in the middle of the room, not moving and he looked at in disgust. He side-stepped round it, opening the window first. "Right, you shit. You're leaving."

He carefully bent down, placing the glass over the creature. He was not usually phased by much, but cockroaches had to be one of the most horrid things he had ever encountered. Spiders, he could handle – and he had to get rid of many over the years he had spent living with Mia. But cockroaches were a different story. The one before him still hadn't moved and he tried to slide the magazine beneath it and the cup. Before he knew it, however, the cockroach ran out of the bathroom.

"Shit!" He cursed, running after it.

"Did you get it?" Hannah asked, looking even more scared.

"Nope. Just stay up there. It's run into the kitchen I think."

Everyone else began to laugh, though Jessica and Tilda had both pulled their feet up off the floor to avoid any chance of it touching them. Vince got up, heading over to the kitchen.

"You are ridiculous, man," he said to Leon. He took the cup and the magazine from Leon and attempted to catch the creature too. However, he failed too and earned a 'told you so' look from Leon. "Can't we just kill it?"

"No!" Hannah exclaimed.

"You wanna catch it?" He asked, cocking his head at her and holding out the objects in his hands.

She just made a whimpering sound and Vince actually laughed at her. "Okay," he sighed.

On the next attempt, they caught the cockroach and took it outside. Vince shut the patio door as he came back in, discarding of the trapping devices,- "Gone."

"Thank you," she said, meekly. "There's some whiskey in the cupboard for your troubles," she added, smiling.

"That's okay, I'll take another beer though." He said, grabbing one himself from the frudge.

"There's no more in there is there? I still have to go."

"Come on," Leon said, holding out his hand for her to get down from the chair. "We'll check."

She took his hand, following him to the bathroom and peeking over his shoulder as he scanned the bathroom. "All clear."

"Phew. Thanks!" She weaved around him into the bathroom, smiling as she shut the door.

Leon made his way back into the living room, where Tilda passed him a fresh beer. They all continued talking into the night and before they knew it, 1am had hit. "We better get goin', gotta open up in the mornin'," Leon said to Jesse.

"Oh yeah," he said, getting up also.

"Have a good day tomorrow. Thanks for the food," said Leon, putting his empty beer bottle in a box with all the other empties.

"No problem, thanks for coming," Jessica replied, enthusiastically. She hopped up, giving each of them a hug. She stumbled slightly so Hannah made her sit down while she followed them all to the door.

"See you around," she said after them, giving them a quick wave before she shut the door. The three of them walked home, idly chatting. When Leon got in, he found that he had forgotten his cellphone – something he barely used, but it was his only contact with Dom, Mia and Letty so it was crucial he had it with him.

"I'm just gonna run back and get my cell," he called, heading out of the door. When he arrived back, the house was dark but he tried knocking anyway hoping one of them would still be up. Hannah appeared at the door, toothbrush in her hand.

"Hey again," she smiled. "Forgot your cell," she said, leaving the door open for him as she headed into the living room. She picked it up off the table and handed it over, walking him back to the door.

"Sorry about wiggin' out earlier. I'm not good with dealing with anything that has more than four legs." She looked at him apologetically.

"No worries. Thanks for this," he added, holding up his cell.

"No problem."

"Well, I'll let you get to bed. See you."

"Bye," she smiled, about to shut the door.

"Are you - " He began.

"Am I...?"

"Are you free Wednesday night? There's an open mic night at the club we went to last night that's pretty good. I thought maybe you'd wanna go?"

She raised her eyebrows, "Urm...Yeah." She smiled. "Yeah, that'd be fun."

"Cool," he nodded, "I'll come by about 8?"

"Okay. See you then."

"Night," he said, turning around and letting out the breath he had been holding. He had no problem with talking to girls, but the actual formality of asking them out on a date was something he didn't quite have down. That, however, had gone well and he smiled to himself as he walked home, thinking of the way she had looked at him as she pleaded him to not kill the cockroach.

His dreams were filled with the red-haired girl that night.


End file.
